January 5, 2017Comments Off on New West Daily Roundup for Jan. 5, 2017

Today in New West news: Zinke joins U.S. House to vote in favor of easing federal land transfer, Bozeman water group sues Montana DEQ over pollution standards, Wyoming mulls whether to legalize Tesla business model in state, and Colorado cybersecurity firm raises $6M.

After many months of controversial governmental review, public meetings, a change in administration from Republican to Democrat, newspaper articles, and intense citizen scrutiny, the state of Montana appears to be on the verge of allowing the burning of toxic slag and huge numbers of old auto tires at the Holcim Cement Plant in Trident, Montana near the headwaters of the Missouri River. Is it a shrewd move to cheaply recycle throwaway rubber products by using them as fuel or will the activity threaten public health downwind in cities like Bozeman, or is it both? Scrutinizing the proposal has been a grueling labor of love for community activists in the Gallatin Valley and in Helena who believe that dangers documented elsewhere with tire burning are being ignored by state regulators. Holcim officials say they want to be responsible corporate citizens, but their pledge has done little to win the trust of a committed group of skeptical mothers, physicians, and scientists. In this guest essay from Bozeman writer Suzanne Colon, the concerns are spelled out.